Toy building block set



w.- E. SCHAUER 2,088,874

TOY BUILDING BLOCK SET Filed Oct. 4, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYSAug. 3, 1937, w. E. SCHAUER TOY BUILDING BLOCK SET Filed Oct. 4, 1935 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR B Mul ,M W 7 ATTQRNEY5 I Patented Aug. 3, 1937UNITED STATES PATENT orries TOY BUILDING BLOCK ss'r Wilbert E. Scliauer,Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to The Mueller &, Son Company, Milwaukee,Wis.,

a corporation of Wisconsin 7 Application October 4, 1935, Serial No.43,472 9; Claims" (01. 46:49)

This invention relates to improvements in toy building block sets.

It is the primary object of the invention to provide a novel andimproved toy building block 5. set combining the features of a jigsawpuzzle with those of a set of building units and adapted to beassembledvina particular sequence; to produce a specific buildingstructure, theblocks. alsobeing adapted to be assembled inan entirelydifferent 10 mannerin any desired arrangement toproduce a multiplicityof other structures through an entirely different connection betweenblocks. i

More specifically; I;propose; by means of the present invention to;provide a .buildingyvhereof the sides androcfrare. fashioned of separatestrips depending for their position entirely upon a frictionalinterlockeffected solely at their ends. Each ofthe majorstrips comprising the setis notchedat its end to have the formof an elon- 1 gated H., The notchesarepreferably, however, offset from the center line so that the,terminal lug on one side ofsthe notch'isthicker than the terminal lug onthe other, to tend to require; the assembly of the stripsinrtheir'proper relation. 5 Moreover, the width of the thick lug and thethin lug of each strip. combined isequal tothe width of the notch, so,that when thesstrips areproperly assembled the thicklugof one and the 3thin lug of the next adjacent strip are-received to- 30 gether ininterlocking engagement (in the notch of an adjacent strip in acontiguous wall surface. The width of the aforesaid notches is alsoequal to the thicknessjof the strips to'ma'ke it possible to assemble.them in: ithe formationiiof many structures other than the buildingdesjigrr for which they are primarily adapted. l a.

All of the several strips. are preferably pat"- terned witha surface.marking either printed thereon or stamped threinpor formed in relief 40upon their faces. These surface markings/are such as to make itimmediately evident'when one strip isfout of place so that in thecorrect assembly of the primary structure there "will be but one placeforevery given strip, which must be in its place in order that thestructure will appear correct when assembled. V a

It is a further object of the invention to provide anovel and improvedform of assembled roof in which the eave portions of the ends of theroof are substantially continuous. from the ridge downwardly, each beingnotched for engagement with the ridge and notched-to receive theterminal lugs of the several longitudinal strips com- 155 prising theintermediate portion ofroof.

In the drawings:

Figure l isva view in perspective of a completed-building structurecomprisingthe building block sets of this invention.

Figure 2 is an fexploded. view showing in perspective typical componentparts of the building block sets as they appear in slightly separatedpositions.

. Figure S is a fragmentary detail in perspective showingthe. cornerinterlock between unmarked 10 strips-comprising thebuilding.

Figure. 4 isa fragmentary detail viewin perspectiveshowing anothermanner of connecting the strips.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail view in per- 15 spectiveshowing, afurther optional manner of connecting the strips.

.- Figure 6- is a view similar to Figure 3 showing in fragmentary detailin perspective a modified type of building block unit provided with amodi- 20 fled surfacemark-ing to represent a brick rather than a logstructure.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughoutthe several views.

The great majority of the building. blocks used. to construct thebuilding shown in Fig. 1, are of the form designated by referencecharacter 1. Assuming that the structure shown in Fig. 1 is secure, itwill .be obvious that the strips 1 comprisingthe ends and front and backthereof will be of uniform length. Each comprises a thin strip. of w oodhaving notches 8 .atits ends defining terminal lugs 9 and it which arerespectiv e ly thick and thin, the notches being offset slightly fromthe longitudinal center line of the stick; Although each notch 8 ispreferably offset,

its thickness is exactly half thewidth of the stick so asto besubstantially equal to the combined width of the tongues 9 and Ill. Thusthe several sticks may be interlocked as shown in Fig. 3 40 with theadjacent sticks l of one wall having their adjacent lugs 9 and I!) eachengaged in one of the notches 8 of an adjacent stick in the contiguouswall.

The thickness of each strip 1 is preferably exactly half of its width.Thus the thickness of each strip corresponds substantially identicallyto the width of the notch 8. The depth of the notch, in turn, ispreferably exactly equal to the a width ofthe stick. Thus the full widthof one stick may be received edgewise into the notch of another stick asshown in Fig. 4, the parts being held frictionally in any relativeposition in which they maybe assembled in this manner.

Likewise the a notched end portions of two '55 sticks at right angles toeach other may be interlockingly engaged as shown in Fig. 5, to make anextremely rigid joint connecting two sticks end to end. By means ofthese two types of con- 5 nection the most elaborate skeleton structuresmay be assembled. If desired, the lugs 9 and I may be made only half aslong as those shown in Figs. 1 to inclusive, and in that case the sticksmay be provided with a surface configuration i0 suggestive of brick asshown in Fig. 6, where the sticks 1' are interlocked in the same manneras Fig. 3 except that the lugs 9 and lll'do not project fromthe mortisedcorners.

Where the mortised corners project, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3, thesticks preferably have a surface configuration or marking suggestive ofthe logs of a log cabin. Preferably, the

surfaces of the sticks will be free of relief and parallel and thedesired appearance will be produced by printing a surface design on tothe sticks. The windows l4 and the door l5 of the building shown in Fig.1 were made by stamping or printing an appropriate design on to thesuccessive sticks employed in the building of the structure. The backsurfaces may have diiferent designs or may be left unfinished toincrease the co-eflicient of friction.

It will also be notedthat there is a carefully worked out series ofshadows or shading at l6.

secutive sticks comprising the building, so that if a child using thetoy assembles any stick in the wrong location the error will immediatelybe apparent. ,There is but one location for every stick in which thedesign on the surface thereof will match the design on adjacent sticks.This fact adds greatly to the interest of the set of blocks when theblocks are assembled in the form shown in Fig. 1. 0 Interlocking withthe sticks 1 comprising the front, back and end walls of the buildingstructure shown in Fig. 1, are gable units such as that shown at I! inFigs. 1 and 2. For convenience eachgable unit comprisesa single piece ofwood having beveled margins is coming to a peak at I 9. Each gable unitalso has notches 8 exactly like those of the sticks! to complete theassembly of the end wall.

A ridgeunit at 20 comprises two of the sticks 50 I which have beenbeveled and nailed to an underlying ridge board 2| which holdsthemtogether as a unit. The bevel of strip 1 is such that they will fitthe peaks IQ of the gable unit, as is fully apparent from Fig. 2. Withthe ridge unit 55 20 in place, the eaves strips 23 maybe interlockedtherewith. Each of the eave strips has a .piece of molding at 24depending from its margin, and each is provided with a series of lugs at25 with which the several sticks I used to comprise 6 the body ofthe'roof, may be interlocked.

The strips 1 used in the roof, are identical, except in surface marking,with the strips'used in the walls. The chimney 26 is simplyanappropriately shaped block of wood formed to fit over the 65 ridge.

V 70 desired, it may be replaced by a notched strip such as, that usedat 23 to comprise the eaves of the roof. Such a strip will interlock theends of the adjacent wall boards and may resemble a corner post orequivalent structural member adjacent 7 the open side of the shed thusformed.

These shadows are carried across the several com I I claim:

1. A building block comprising an elongated strip provided with terminaltongues and an intervening notch, the width of the notch beingapproximately equal to the combined width of both tongues, whereby thetongues of two corresponding building blocks may be engagedsimultaneously in'said'notch to be frictionally retained between thefirst mentioned tongues.

2. A building block comprising an elongated l0 strip notched at each endto provide pairs of terminal tongues substantially aligned with themargins of the strip, the width of each notch being substantially. equalto the thickness of the strip and to the combined width of the tongues15 at either side thereof, whereby said notch is adapted to receive andfrictionally retain other tongues aligned with the opposite margins oftwo similar blocks.

3. A building block comprising an elongated 20 strip, the width beingapproximately twice the thickness and the length many times exceedingits width, and provided at each of its ends with notches approximatelyequal in depth to the width of strip and equal in width to the thick- 25ness thereof, and tongues at each side of the respective notches, eachpair of tongues having a combined width substantially equal to theinterveningnotch and the thickness of the strip, two superposed tonguesof two like blocks being together receivable for frictional retention inone of the notches aforesaid.

4. A building block comprising a strip of elongated form having aterminal notch slightly off center with respect to the center line ofthe 35 strip and providing tongues of unequal thickness at either sideof the notch, the combined thickness of said tongues being substantiallyidentical with the width of the notch, whereby the thicker'and thinnertongues of blocks identical with 40 the block aforesaid may beconjointly received for frictional retention in said notch.

5. In a structure of the character described,

a pair of continuous walls each comprising similar strips notched attheir adjacent ends to pro-; vide spaced tongues, the notched portion ofeach strip being frictionally engaged with the tongues of twoconsecutive strips in the contiguous wall, whereby the strips of eachwall interlockingly secure together the strips of the other of said, towalls.

6. A buildingstructure comprising a series of strips in substantial edgecontact to comprise each wall of the structure, the ends of said stripsbeing interlocked at the corners between. .55 contiguous walls, and eachstrip having terminal tongues and an intervening notch, the tonguesbeing engaged in the notches of two consecutive strips in an adjacentwall, and the notch of each strip receiving adjacent tongue portions ofsaid. '60 two consecutive strips in the contiguous wall.

7. A building structure comprising walls and roof panels, each includingidentical building .blocks, each said block comprising an elongatedstrip approximately the length of a wall of said. building and notchedat its ends to provide two pairs of oppositely projecting terminaltongues whereof the combined thickness is approximately equal to thewidth of the intervening notches, the strips comprising contiguous wallpanels being mutually offset, two adjacent terminal tongues ofconsecutive strips in one panel being engaged in the notch of astaggered strip in an adjacent wall panel.

8. A building structure comprising a p1ura1ity=- of walls each includingelongated building strips in interlocking frictional engagement at thecorners of said walls, gable pieces mounted on opposing walls and havingmeans interlocking with a strip of an intervening wall, a ridge memberspanning said gab-1e pieces, strips substantially identical with thoseof the walls spanning said gable members, and eaves units having meansinterlocked with the ends of said last mentioned strips, and with saidridge unit, whereby to hold said last mentioned strips upon said gablemembers as a roof for the structure.

9. In a building structure, the combination with wall devices havingpeaked gable members at their tops, of a pair of ridge boards providedwith means connecting them together to span the apices of said gablepeaks, eaves units provided with means interlockingly engaging theirrespective ends with said ridge members, each of said eaves units havingits inner side margin provided with notches and a series of stripsspanning said gable members and having tongues interlockingly engaged inthe notches of said eaves units, whereby they are maintained in assemblyto comprise a roof structure.

WILBERT E. SCI-IAUER.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,088,874. August 3, 1937.

WILBERT E. SCHAUER.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2,sec-- 0nd column, line 44, claim 5, for the word "continuous" readcontiguous; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with thiscorrection therein that the same may conform to the record of the casein the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 5th day of October, A. D. 1957.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal; Acting Commissioner of Patents.

